‘Underage sex claims have had big effect on my life’

A RADIO DJ cleared of sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl said the allegations have had a “hugely damaging” effect on her life.

Presenter Emma Stanfield, of Chapel Street in East Oxford, was accused of knowing the girl was under age when they engaged in sex acts during May last year.

But yesterday, the 40-year-old was unanimously found not guilty of all the charges against her after a three-day trial in Oxford Crown Court.

A jury took just one hour and 40 minutes to clear the Radio Cherwell DJ of three counts of sexual activity with a child and another of causing or inciting sexual activity with a child.

When the verdict was read out Miss Stanfield gave a sigh of relief, said “thank you” to the jury and hugged a supporter in the court’s public gallery.

After the hearing she said: “It has been a very stressful time for me, but I have had confidence throughout the case that I would get the verdict we have had.

“And in hindsight it is not a situation I would ever like to be in again. Last year I was in a very different place to where I am now.

“Now I’m looking forward to putting this behind me.

“It is not very nice to have your private life made public in front of a huge amount of people, not just in the court but in the media as well.

“It has had a hugely damaging affect on me and how I feel.”

During the trial prosecutor Michael Riley said Miss Stanfield told the complainant she was 24-years-old, gave her vodka and engaged in sex acts with her at a house in Blackbird Leys.

He added that the pair exchanged more than 100 Facebook messages and texts following the encounter, including while Miss Stanfield was presenting a show on community station OX105.

The barrister also alleged that she knew the girl was only 15 at the time.

But giving evidence this week Miss Stanfield, who has been selected as a contestant on this year’s Strictly Oxford, called the complainant a liar and insisted that she only found out the teenager’s true age afterwards.

She told the jury: “She (the complainant) is a dishonest, deceitful person.

“She seemed like a girl that was well beyond her years. She drank, she smoked and she talked like a person much older.

“Because of what she had been through in life she seemed like a much more experienced person.”

Ipsoregulated

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